The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-04-14

switched his tail in q menacing way,
and I plainly saw his talons dig into
the earth as he gathered his muscles
for a great effort. While there was .
settled determination on his part to
make food of me, there was a certain
trepidation of his general demeanor.
1t was plain that he was mystifed, but
his ferocious nature prevailed.
The tiger kept abreast of the lion,
and he was the first to take the alarm.
He evidently scented the lion, for he
reared up. snuffed the air. and then
flung out a paw and spat like an angry
cat. This noise startled the lion, and
he rose up, showed his teeth, and took
his eyes off me for the first time.
Either animal could easily have leaped
the wall. but neither attempted it. The
tiger took on a iercer look and drop
ped some of his stealth, but the lion
reached the end of the wall
first, uttering a roar of defiance
and evidently expecting to meet an
enemy. The tiger was four or five feet
from the end of the wall. and the move
he made was so quick that my eyes
could not follow it. As the lions head
showed around the wall the big cat
made a lightning spring, and the next
instant the two were rolling over and
over at my feet. fighting as only such
beasts can fight, and growing in a
manner to make my hair turn gray. II
was then that strength came back to
me, and 1 rose up. but instead of rush
ing away l raj back into the building.
Reaching the e a wall ! stood there a
prisoner and a spectator. The first
clinch lasted about three minutes. and
was characterized by such ferocity as
l not describe. While the lion
and the tiger are probably natural
enemies, 1 suppose the fact that both
had planned to make meat Of me.
and both felt themselves disappointed,
aroused all their ferocity. Most of the
time during the first clinch they were
rolling over and over like a big ball,
tearing, biting and growing, and the
movements of the tiger were much the
quickest. They finally separated, each
backed off a few feet, and each stood
broadside to me. l could see half a
dozen blood-stains on the lions side,
while the tiger had been terribly bit
ten about the neck, and there was a
bloody scratch on his quarter. They
faced each other for about a minute,
the lion roaring in a deep bass and the
fSrap CT nvsIsn~ lilo m rSn rod not
Then, as swift as a flash of lightning,
the tiger bounded through space and
alighted on the lions back, and AGAIN
they rolled and .tumbled about. The
fight was too fierce to be kept up long,
and too determined not to result in
sever injuries.
When the beasts finally struggled to
their feet, the tiger had hold of the lion
just back of the foreshoulder and he
hung there and worried the king as a
dog would a sheep. Twice the lion
yelped out as if he hadlost his courage,
but he suddenly made a grand exertior
broke the tigers hold, and then turned
and caught him by the neck. I thought
all was over with the cat. The lior
actually lifted him clear off the ground
and shook him, and this time the tigel
whined. After a bit, however, he
twisted his body around until his hind
claws came into play, and then the
lion had to let go. There wa another
rest for a minute or two, and again tn,
tiger was the aggressive party. Thi'
time they fought more like dogs
neither seeming able to down the othel
and they kept wording away from thu
building towards the creek. I advanc
ed as they retreated, and they wer'
still doing their best to destro,
each other when they rolled off tn
bank into the creek. Each was cover
ed with blood from nose to tail, an,
The injuries inflicted must have beel
serious. The tumble into the waite
separated them, and while the tige
reached the opposite bank at one spot
the lion crawled out at another thirt,
feet away, and both limped into tn
forest without the slightest desire t
renew the fight.-M Y. Sun.
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